‘Raw’ Ansah has plenty of talent

MOBILE, Ala. _ Ezekiel Ansah is so new to football that the term “raw” is thrown around routinely when he is talked about.

But Ansah, a Ghana native who has only been playing football for three years since walking on at Brigham Young University, is also drawing some comparisons to New York Giants star Jason Pierre-Paul. That's because at 6-6, 270, Ansah has the type of physical skills and speed that cannot be taught, much like Pierre-Paul or Jevon Kearse.

Ansah has been working this week at the Senior Bowl and hopes to not only show of his skills, but refine them as well as he readies for the NFL Draft.

“I just try to learn and try to do better and work hard. I'm learning how to relate to the coaches,” Ansah said. “You don't want to make any mistakes. It's really a great competition and I really like it.”

The Detroit Lions coaching staff has been coaching the South squad of which Ansah is a part. He is hoping to put his best foot forward for the coaches who are working with him.

“I've shown them that I'm going to work hard and do everything I can to be ready to play,” Ansah said. Ansah, to a certain degree, is in a similar situation to Estonia native Margus Hunt of SMU, who is on the North squad this week. Hunt and Ansah both came to the United States as track athletes, and then gravitated to football because of their size and physical skills, even though they had no experience at the game.

Draft expert Tony Pauline sees similar situations for both players as they work this week at the Senior Bowl and try to raise their draft stock. Pauline says the payoff for both players will require some patience. “Hunt shows flashes of brilliance, as does Ansah but you've got to get them (to show it) on a consistent basis,” Pauline said. “I think Hunt is further along than Ansah. Ansah is supposed to have the speed, and he's got the body type to get bigger. But they are both probably two or three years away.”

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